The Washington critic., 1887-12-08
WHAT A COSTUMER SAYS ABOUT
MASQUERADING.
The Most Popular Characters at Fancy
Dress Parties.
Cost Of tho Garmcnts---'rhc Honesty
of the Borrowers---The Custom
of Renting "Swallow-
Tails"

tumcr, leaning pack Ill MS cnar ana
gazing thoughtfully into the glowing
Goals of the open CRATE, "that about
every seven years the craze for mas
querading revivcs. have noticed this
during my experience in the business,
and it is well-known fact to the trade.
This year predict will see u revival of
the custom, and it has already COM
menced in Europe. But there is u
steady business for the costumer each
season in furnishing costumes for pri-
vatc Mosques, which, by the way, are
quite popular in Washington for private
theatricals and old folks concerts"
"Are these Of such frequent occur
renee MS to make paying business W
"Woll, | have 100000 invested in 800
costumes, and the business is brisk
enough to pay me good interest on the
investment. During the social season
the larger part of my costumes are con-
tinually out in use."
"What do the costumes rent for?"
"Well, charge from 80 cents to S25
for their use for one evening. l have
some fine robes and suits. Come this
way and will show you"
Heled the way into alarge room, about
forty feet long, with counter extend
ing along each side. Rows of shelves on
boxes, containing the dresses. Each
box was labelled, bearing the name of
the character represented.
There were Hamlets, Romeos, Prince
Halls, Henry VIII, kings, Claude Mel
notes, sultans, Fausts, Mephistopheles,
General Washingtons, sages, priests,
fools, dairy maids, soldiers, sailors, po-
l,cemen, fat boys, national characters
in fact, almost every character to be
represented i'll masUue or play. There
were several sizes of suits in each box.
"What are the characters most popu-
lar among masqueraders
Among our better class of patrons
the call is for Princes and Kings CO.'S
tunes and Shakspeare's characters. We
keep big stock OF Romeos and Ham
lets on hand. Claude Melnotte and Fra
Diavalo are popular. For old folks
concerts we keep number Of Sir Peter
Teazles and the regulation white satin
lace bedecked coats of the time of
George III.
"For private theatricals we can fur
nish any character desired, especially
an historical one. We also make cos
tunes to order for n person, and either
sell them or rent them. If you were
going to have private theatricals and
wished to represent character of which
1 have no costume, you would bring me
an old picture, or give me an idea of
your conception of the costume, and it
would be made up and rented to you.
10 show you what class of people use
my dresses, look at this" and he took
down a gorgeous suit of white satin, blue
velvet and pink brocade, slashed with
gold and with cuffs and collar of lace.
"This is real lace" said he, "and all
the materials are of the finest quality
and made in the best manner. This
suit represents an outlay of $175. OF
course it is only rented to responsible
parties, not for fear of losing it, for do
not lose one costume in 100, but 1 am
particular as to who wears these suits.
They are clean, and no gentleman would
be afraid to put them on. Here is one
of the finest Hamlet costumes in this
country" showing a sombre black vel
vet, with purple slashings and bugle
bindings. "rhis costume has been
worn by number of Hamlets."
In large glass case were wigs of all
colors, whiskers, boards and moustaches
10 suit the characters. Then there were
chapeaus, cooked hats and head dresses.
Little dainty slippers for Juliets, Jack
boots for cavaliers and silk shoes for the
courtiers.
"Now will show you the ladies' de-
partment," said the costumer, leading
the way into another room. In this
room the boxes containing the dresses
bore different labels-Juliet, Lady of
Lyons, Queen ElizabeiN Desdemona,
Queen Esther, and var,ous character
costumes. A faint, delicious odor, sug-
gestive of feminine loveliness, emanated
from the folds of the rich silks and
satins spread out upon the counter for
courteous lady in charge of the room
grew eloquent in her description of the
styles of cut and trimming, using long
names and descriptive terms that We're
as intelligible to THE CRITIC young man
as the hieroglyphics on Cleopatra's
obelisk.
"These dresses are never rented to
tn atrcal people for use ON the stage"
o planned the costumer, "nor are they
Mt out for parties and receptions, al
ough we have frequent calls for even
! 2 dresses, we only rent them to peo-
p for private use, so we know they will
b. kept clean. Here is robe worth
5 50; see the quality of the material.
That robe has been worn at some of the
most recherche entertainments in Wash
ington. The foreign legations located
here give great many little entertain
ments and Mosques, and they make
heavy demands upon our wardrobe.
Here is another branch of the busi-
ness-costumes for children, for tab
leaux and theatricals, dainty little trou-
sers and coats. Here is Claude Mel
notte suit for a three-year-old boy.
These children's costumes are in almost
constant use. Do we rent gentlemen's
full-dress suits? Oh, yes, we keep u
large stock on hand of all sizes. We
can give man u good tit, no matter
what his size. They rent for So and 50.
of course there is heavy demand for
them during the Christmas HOLIDAYS.
In the social season the larger number
OF our patrons are visitors to Washing
ton. People who come ON a short trip
and want to take in reception or party.
1t is quite amusing sometimes to see
man from the rural regions trying to fit
himself with dress suit. He undoubt-
edly feels awkward and certainly looks
1t. There are frequent calls for dress
suits for bridegrooms. / have one very
fine suit, made in Paris, which five men
have worn on their wedding day. We
have great many dress suits stolen
from us. A man calls and gives ficti-
tious address and never returns the suit.
The business of renting dress suits grows
smaller each year, as they are becoming
80 cheap, and man who takes any part
at all in Washington society must own